This invention relates to vehicle winches. Winches for mounting on vehicles are well known and have been used for a large number of purposes, including drawing articles, loads and other vehicles towards the vehicle on which the winch is mounted and also for recovery of the vehicle on which the winch is mounted from situations where the vehicle would otherwise be stranded.
Cross-country vehicles such as Landrovers (Registered Trade Mark) and the like, frequently carry such devices which are mounted on the vehicle in which the winch drum is driven either by a direct drive or power take-off from the engine or alternatively by separate electric motor supplied by the vehicles' electrical system.
Vehicles of this type are frequently used for the purpose of towing other vehicles, such, for example, as trailers, horseboxes, boats and caravans. This tow is usually by means of a tow hitch fixed to the back of a vehicle. On coupling a trailer to the vehicle, it is necessary to back the vehicle to a position such that the tow hitch thereon is juxtaposed the coupling on the trailer. This operation requires considerable skill. It would clearly be much easier to have a situation where the hitch member is demounted or demountable from the towing vehicle and attached to the trailer; the hitch member itself being attached to the bitter end of the winding cable of a winch. Winding of the winch would then draw the trailer into towing relationship with the vehicle thereby effecting coupling of the trailer to the towing vehicle.
Devices of this type are generally known. On most vehicles the winch assembly is located at the rear end with the tow hitch. In other proposals, the winch which is usually a manual winch, has been mounted on the trailer. However the problem that arises is one in which the winch assembly should be compact enough to incorporate the winch drum, the winch motor, the drive gear from the motor to the drum and the necessary hitch assembly without undue projection either rearwardly of the vehicle or downwardly therefrom which latter which would inhibit the cross country capability of the towing vehicle.
A principal problem is that the winch cable is usually wire and this imposes limitations on the size of the drum that can be employed for winding and also provides problems of the quantity of cable that can be accommodated within a given size of housing. In winding such cables it is frequently the case that wraps of cable "bunch" towards one end of the drum to such an extent that the cable jams against the housing accommodating the drum thus causing the winch to stall before the hitch has returned to its datum towing position.
The present Applicants have perceived, therefore, that there is a need for a compact winch unit in which a hitch or coupling assembly at the bitter end of a winding cable is substantially self-locating with respect to the winch housing in the towing position and at the same time winding of the cable can be effected without substantial bunching of the cable thereon.